Brigitte Lenoir dies in Dahab

[Abdulrahman]

i dont wanna defend anyone nor do i wanna offend anyone but have any of you been diving below 150mt ????? have any of you felt the pressure down there or is it just talk and what ever you guys read from books ????? its much easier said then done just to think strait and stay focused is one thing but having all those tanks and gadgits around you and having to think strait is another..... its not as easy as you say and we all know that you are have a certain run time and we all know that ones safety comes first........

 

[watch_the_bubbles]

Abdulrahman, personally i completely agree with you. I've NEVER dived anywhere close to that depth, so have NO idea what the narcosis, task loading, pressure feels like.

I have the utmost respect for people like Pascal and Brigitte but it doesn't stop me wondering about the "what ifs."

For me this forum has often taught me more than any divemaster or IDC could ever hope to, and led me to read about things I would previously not have had exposure to (e.g., the link to rebreather world).

I guess some people like to talk when death occurs and others like to contemplate in silence.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

i dont wanna defend anyone nor do i wanna offend anyone but have any of you been diving below 150mt ????? have any of you felt the pressure down there or is it just talk and what ever you guys read from books ????? its much easier said then done just to think strait and stay focused is one thing but having all those tanks and gadgits around you and having to think strait is another..... its not as easy as you say and we all know that you are have a certain run time and we all know that ones safety comes first........

As a technical diver who's diving to these depths, you already know that you MUST have a risk management profile (what if scenarios), in addition to listing potential problem areas and having emergency plans beforehand.

If I may ask, and please don't get me wrong, what's the purpose of all "those tanks and gadgets around you" if you can't use them properly or they're distracting you?

Finally, as Pritesh said, this forum is an excellent tool for communication and learning. Taking into consideration the sensitive issue of death, I'll keep avoiding speculation.

 

[Abdulrahman]

First of all this forum is amazing for learning, reading and picking up new info. plz nobody get me wrong. and i agree with watch_the_bubbles about having alot of respect for Pascal and Brigette i also have respect for them and everybody on the dive that day......... If one day the divers in the water with her come out and speak then all the best and if they choose not to speak then let it be, some people just keep making wrong accusations and keep pointing fingers and the problem is that non of the people speaking have a clue of what went down that day. i have full trust and confidence in Pascal and in every diver in the water or at the surface that day and believe me if there was something that could have been done it would have been done, i know the divers personally and only god knows how they feel and the state of shock they are in till this day. i hope no one takes what i said personally and no one is offended by my words

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

First of all this forum is amazing for learning, reading and picking up new info. plz nobody get me wrong. and i agree with watch_the_bubbles about having alot of respect for Pascal and Brigette i also have respect for them and everybody on the dive that day......... If one day the divers in the water with her come out and speak then all the best and if they choose not to speak then let it be, some people just keep making wrong accusations and keep pointing fingers and the problem is that non of the people speaking have a clue of what went down that day. i have full trust and confidence in Pascal and in every diver in the water or at the surface that day and believe me if there was something that could have been done it would have been done, i know the divers personally and only god knows how they feel and the state of shock they are in till this day. i hope no one takes what i said personally and no one is offended by my words

I know what you mean, and I appreciate it. I also know it's fairly easy to get advantage of some people when things go wrong with them. Moreover, I know some people are trying to show that all the practices her team was following during their entire lives are not appropriate. But believe me non of those people are here on this forum.

I have to disagree with you about the fact that there's no statement till now. It was not an ordinary accident where a recreational diver lost his life trying to cross the Blue Hole's arch on a single tank. It's not even an ordinary technical diving accident. It's an accident involving an attempt of making a world record (deepest woman in salt water), in addition to the fact that the very same dive was a training dive for a bigger event; the deepest woman ever. The team included a person who claims the world record of deep diving. An incident that big should be treated differently, in my humble opinion. And I still think a statement is due.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

The underwater robot is waiting for the green light and the victim's family still hopes they'll retrieve her body. More info for French readers at Le robot sous-marin attend le feu vert | 24 heures

Will translate it as soon as I can.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

The underwater robot is waiting for the green light
The victim's family still hopes they'll retrieve her body

"As soon as we have the green light, we depart. I'm waiting for this phone call day after the other.", says Jean Woeffray, the victim's father, who's sure the Egyptian authorities will finally agree, and that he will be able to start the search for his daughter's body, who drowned in Dahab at some 260m depth.

The underwater robot -called HIM4- should locate Brigitte Lenoir's body and come back to the surface. Accompanying him are two rolls of cables (310m total), a monitor to visualize the movement of the tele-guided machine, and a rescue robot.

However, Egypt is suspicious regarding such sophisticated, impressive and expensive equipment. "It is not enough to sign a form at the custom duties, like it is in France." says Yvon Steininger. With the help of an international freight company, the manager of Intrasub (owner of the robot) made all necessary paperwork, which describes the finest details. Now all what he has to do, like the victim's family, is to be patient.

Five days on-site
What are the chances of success of the expedition? Nobody risks making forecasts. Yvon Steininger assures, "We will do our best. There may be other bodies in this area. And if we manage to locate Brigitte's, still we should find a way to get it back."

Jean Woeffray trusts the arm articulated to the robot HIM4. He assures the cooperation of two divers -his daughter's friends- and a company based in Dahab, which will provide a boat. "We need good weather. We will work for 5 days on-site." Carmen, Brigitte's sister, will also accompany the trip. Fabrice, one of her two brothers, will succeed his father and manage the family business of locksmith and ironwork.

Financially, the operation is very expensive. "But we are well supported", says Jean Woeffray, whose family has opened a bank account to collect donations (deep230.ch).

Brigitte Lenoir, mother of an 11-years-old boy, would have been 41 years in September. A technical incident took place while preparing for an attempt of recording the female's deepest dive.

 

[Crowley]

Thanks for that Asser.

I think one over-riding point that has to be made is that blame is very difficult to apportion to other members of the team who were involved. The lady who died was not a novice diver and this was not her first extra-deep dive on a CCR.

One might ciriticise the support team for not doing this or that but ultimately, like all divers, only one person can assume the responsibility for the dive they are about to undertake.

Bridgette Lenoir must have checked and prepared her own equipment - that is her responsibility and hers alone. She must have been involved in the planning and she must have agreed to the safety protocols, positioning of equipment and divers prior to getting in the water. To have ignored any of these things would be simple foolishness, a condition mutually incompatible with deep technical diving. Only one person can accept the risks involved and then carry on with their dive.

Whilst others may speculate and cast blame and ask "why?", responsibility for her death is hers and hers alone.

A sad story, but if you ever visit the Blue Hole in Dahab and see all the plaques on the cliff face dedicated to divers who have lost their lives there, it is probably not the last.

Safe diving folks,

C.

 

[Red Sea Shadow]

Today was the first day of the robot's search. It found her fins at 221 meters.

 

[Lord Melch]

"Brigitte Lenoir has been found today @ a depth of 240 meters outside Bells after 2 days of research and has been brought back to her family. "

tsr.ch - info - suisse - Le corps de Brigitte Lenoir retrouvé en Mer rouge

May she rest in peace.